Liquid supply device



May 16, 1933. v. c. KLINE LIQUID SUPPLY DEVICE Filed May 3l, 1930 28 1-NVENT0R 20 ing in whichz;

Patented May 16, 1933` UNITED STATES VTEGIL c. KLINE, E FLORAL PARK, NEW roux @LIQUID 'SUPPLY DEVICE Application led Hay 31,

This invention relates toa supplyldevice for supplying additional liquid to a body of liquid to maintain a constant level inthe latter. y Y

It isfa primary object of the invention to provide a device of this character which. will avoid any mixing of the liquid to be added and the liquid` constituting the body to be maintained at substantially constant level.

It is a further object to provide, if desired as additional refinements, in devices :ofv this character, .mechanism for accommodating changes in temperature without the addition of liquid and for closing the outlet 1nl case the supply reservoir is removed from lts position adjacent the bodyof liquid. h

The above and other-.objects will appear more fully from the following description whenconsidered in connection with the draw- Fig. 1 is a verticalsectional view parts being in elevation showing one-form ofzmy invention. y i

Figs. 2 and 3 are detail views cfa slight modification thereof.

Fig. 4 is a similar view in section of afurther modification. l f Y I have shown my invention as applied to a typical wet battery for maintaining the 1 30 liquid therein at a substantially constant level. The devices employed include 'a supply reservoir 6 for adding liquid to a battery 7 which normally has ay liquid 8 containing acidv and lWater maintained substantially at the level 8a.

In adapting my invention to the battery 7 the usual filling plug is removed and the plug 9` substituted. Thisplu'g v includes 'an ,opening 10 for receiving the neck 6a of the bot- 40 tle or reservoir 6. If desired an additional opening and plug 12 may be l,provided for testing the battery and to provide an opening to Vpermit the escape of gas from` the battery.

The reservoir 6 `is initially filled with a l A supply of distilled water to be added to the lcent the upperportion of the reservoir 6 as `the battery' whenever the I suction in the* If the level of liquid 8in the 1930. vserial No.` 458,822.

air which enters the lower endof theltube can pass the liquid standing in the tube` This diameter should be not fless than approximately two-tenths of an inch, a ,tube having 4a bore of approXimately35/100 Afoi an inch 5R57 .upper end of the member k16 in the presence of varnish soas to secure it in pla-ce. .When the tube 16 is placed in its operative position the restricted opening 18j is positioned adjashown. 4 The discharge tube` 20 has a relatively small bore such that the meniscus formed therein prevents liquid and air passing one another inthe tube.` The tube 20 extends from a point 21 adjacent the bottom of the reservoir 6 to a point within the vacant space yof the battery well above thenormal liquidlevel thereof, thevtube 2O servin to discharge liquid from the'reservoir 6 into upper portion of the reservoir is reduced.

If desired an additional filling neck 22and closure 24 may be provided to facilitateadding water to the reservoir without disturbingy the connections adjacent thestopper 14, .Itl will be understood that the reservoir 6 maybe of any desiredshape, size andmateri-al valthough it is preferred to employ a glass bottle of novel-design asshownwhi'ch will contain a substantial-quantity of water but without requiring an eXtreme vertical height for the bottle.

In the use of my apparatusthetbottle 6 is filled and placed in inverted position on the battery as shown.v 'i

battery is below the opening 17 air passes upwardly through a tube 16 thus permitting water to pass downwardly through the tube 20 until 100 the opening 17 is covered. Thereafter a slight out of the upper portion thereof where itV would become commingled with the waterin the reservoir 6. f

In Figs. 2 and 3 the reservoir 6a, battery 7 a, tubular member 16,-etc. are substantially the same as inthe iirst form of theinvention. f In these figures however'I have shown a closure 26 mounted on a support 28 pivoted "onfa yoke 30v and formed with'an arm 29 ex'- tending upwardly along the neck of the bottle. WhenI the bottle is removed from the battery the closure 26 closes the opening in the discharge member 21a and prevents the water from being wasted. Y

In Fig.4 the plug 14?; is formed with a recess 32 for receiving the two sections 34 and. 36 into which the discharge'tube is divided section 34 extending from the'upper portion of the chamber `32 to a point beneath the closure 14?) the section 36 extending from `ber 312.

apoint adjacent the bottom of the vreservoir 6b to a point near the bottom ofthe cham- The control tube k16?), battery 7b etc., are substantially the same as in the first formof the invention. The apparatus shown in Fig. 4 is particularly useful where the apparatus is to be subjected to wide temperature changes. vThe apparatus operates thesame as the first form of the invention'except that contraction and expansion of the air'in the upper portion of the reservoir 6b may occur and no liquid be dischargedfrom the reservoir into the mainbody of liquid at 8." During-the contraction of air in the reservoir 6b 'air is drawn upwardlythrough' the section 34.- of the discharge tube. and into the chamber 32, Vany liquid in this chamber being drawn upwardly through the section 36 into the reservoir 6b. As the air again expands in the reservoir a certain quantityof liquid is passed downwardly through the tubular section 36 into the chamber 32 and the air in the chamber 32 passesoutwardly through the tubular section '34. A This contraction and expansion ofthe airin the chamber 6b may take place repeatedly without causing any liquid to be discharged from the reservoir into'the lower body of liquid. l Y

Having` now described my invention I claim: Y

1. I-n a liquid supply device for supplying liquid to a main body of liquid, a reservoir for additional liquid, discharge means for said reservoir communicating Vwithv the lower lportion of said reservoir and extendingto a point aboveand spaced from said main body of liquid, controlling means for said deviceV comprising a tubular member extending from a point within said reservoir above the normal liquid level therein to a point without said liquid adj acentsaid main body of liquid and means associated with said discharge tube `ior compensating for temperature changes to preventV repeated normal changes of temperature from causing liquid to be discharged from said reservoir.V

2. In a liquid supply device, a reservoir for liquid, discharge means for said liquid comprising a plurality of tubular members communicating with the interior of said reservoir and with the space without saidreservoir, one of said tubular'members having a capillary bore another lof saidtubular members having a relatively larger bore whereby air Vmay pass upwardly through theliquidv i therein, said first named tubular member opening at a'point without said reservoir on a higher levelthan the ,opening of said second named tubular member without said reser- .voir and opening in the interior of said reservoir on a lower level than does saidsecond f named tubular member. i

3. In fa liquid supply device, a vreservoir for liquid, discharge means for said liquid comprisinga plurality of tubular members communicating with the interior of said reservoir and with the space' without said reservoir,

"one of said tubular members having a relatively small bore whereby `the meniscus `formed thereinprevents air passing the liquid therein, another of said tubular members having a relatively larger bore whereby air may pass upwardly through the liquid therein, said first named tubular member opening vat a point without said reservoir on a higher level than the opening of said second named tubular member without said reservoir and opening in the interior of said reservoir on a lower level than ldoes said second named tubular member and av plug formed' with 'a restricted opening secured in the upper end of said larger tubularmember. Y

4., In a liquid supply device, a reservoir .for liquid, means for discharging the liquid therefrom into a lower body of liquidand comprising a plurality of tubular members, one of said *members extending from a point within said reservoir near the upper portion of the same to a point without said reservoir andl near the upperlevelof said lower body of liquid, said member having an internal bore such that air may pass upwardly through any liquid therein and a second tubular member having a relatively small, meniscus forming, bore and extending from a point near the bottom of saidreservoir to a point without the same and: substantially abovethe upper surface of saidl lower body o-f'liquid said smaller tubular member being formed in sections one of which opens into the interior of said reservoir and the other of whichv opens 'dios without said reservoir and a chamber into which said sections extend, the irst of said sections having an opening near the bottom of said chamber and the second of said sections having an opening near the upper por- Ation of said chamber.

5. In a liquid supply device, a reservoir for liquid, means for discharging the liquid therefrom into a lower body of liquid and comprising a plurality of tubular members, one

of said members extending from a point within said reservoir near the upper portion of the same to a point without said reservoir and near the upper level of said lower body of liquid, said member having an internal bore such that air may pass upwardly through any liquid therein and a second tubular member having a relatively small, meniscus orming, bore and extending from a point near the bottom of said reservoir to a point without the same and substantially above the upper surface of said lower body of liquid, means for supporting said tubular members on said reservoir, said means includingl a hollow chamber, said smaller tubular member being formed in sections one of which extends from the interior of said reservoir to the lower portion of said chamber and the other of which extends from the upper portion of said chamber to a point without said reservoir.

Signed at New York in the county of New -York and State of New York this 29th day of May A. D. 1930.

VIRGIL C. KLINE. 

